A potentially stressful birth experience proved to be a safe and happy one for first-time parents Felicia and Dan.

Despite arriving at Fairview Lakes Medical Center at 2 a.m. during the worst snowstorm in years and having their daughter delivered by c-section two weeks early, Felicia says she and her husband Dan always felt they were safe, comfortable and well cared for.

The baby’s early arrival wasn’t a complete surprise. “My primary obstetrician, Dr. Julie Becker, had told me earlier in the week that she thought I would be ready to deliver within 72 hours,” says Felicia. Dr. Becker was right.

Felicia’s labor began a few days later during the middle of a blizzard that made driving treacherous. Dan says he just put the car in gear and kept going, concerned that if he stopped they would get stuck. Fortunately, Fairview Lakes Medical Center is close to their home in Forest Lake.

“I had called ahead before we left home, and they had the room ready for us and had my IV ready when we got there,” says Felicia. “The nursing care was very personalized. Everybody made us feel comfortable, and they checked on us frequently.”

Felicia labored through the night and the next day. She was given oxytocin to make her contractions stronger, and later that night she started pushing, but the baby’s position didn’t change.“The attending obstetrician, Dr. Amy Kriscunas, explained our options,” says Felicia. “About an hour before the c-section, she explained to me what would constitute needing a c-section and under what circumstances they could use vacuum suction. I was also given the option of continuing trying to push.”

The decision to do the cesaerean section was made after weighing all the options and taking into account the fact that the baby was showing some evidence of heart issues. Their daughter Jessamay arrived weighing a healthy 7 lb. 7 oz.

“After the birth, the nursing staff was very helpful and informative,” says the first-time mom. “My milk didn’t come in right away, so we had to start supplementing to keep the baby’s weight up. They gave me a lot of resources about breastfeeding and pumping and how that’s affected by a c-section.

“Throughout our stay, Dan was always kept in the loop,” says Felicia. “They made sure to deal with us as a family.” Felicia says that the couple took advantage of the small refrigerator in their room to store munchies for Dan, cupcakes sent by a sister-in-law, and Jello for midnight snacks.

“The pediatrician, Dr. Berry, made sure that we understood what was going on with our baby’s EKG (electrocardiogram),” says Felicia.

Happily, the arrhythmia the baby experienced at birth was temporary and has since disappeared.

“I was really impressed with the knowledge the staff has,” says Felicia. “They always had time to inform us about what was going on and to share the information they had.”